Bloggin' America

To be honest, it never occurred to me when we began this journey that I would be celebrating my birthday in whichever strange city we happened to be passing through on May 20. But nonetheless, here we are in Hartford, Connecticut. You don’t hear much about this place. Maybe I would hear someone say their mom’s friend had a summer home on a lake in Connecticut, but other than that I couldn’t tell you much. The people here practically speak in code, using one small town to reference another one. After crossing the New York border, what I can say is coming from neon lights, caffeine highs, and that NYC adrenaline, the lackadaisical atmosphere of “the Constitution State” was welcomed by everyone. Keep going...

I had this feeling in my stomach of impending doom–not for the trip or my family or me, necessarily; but for the way I’d imagined the world. It was unsettling to know that I could have two completely opposite feelings about someone at once, and that living inside that gray area could be both comforting and excruciating. Keep going...

The next two days were excruciating. I met Marc on Tuesday and it was Friday. I wondered why he’d come up to me in the first place. Was it just to torture me? It was stupid, but I became obsessed with checking my phone and Ray knew this so sometimes he’d send me texts that said “balls” and I’d punch him in the arm. Keep going...

There was something frenetic about New York city—something that drives. It was hard to tell how people slept at all, hopped up on coffee, Red Bull, and money. At night, the drunks and businessmen came out—often one and the same; and hipsters, crystalline in their focus, aimed to be seen as like-minded, small-hatted rebels. Thought it was unclear what they were rebelling against. Loose fitting jeans, I guess. Keep going...

My first sight when we crossed the bridge in the RV was the skyline. It was drizzling and there was a low ring of cloud drifting over the city like a halo of ash. I thought of this image because there was one building that was missing from every postcard I’d ever seen, every old movie, and for a moment, I felt connected to a city I’d never stepped foot in. Keep going...

For such a small state, New Jersey has brought my family closer together in a big way. Instead of the normal fiascoes where everything goes wrong in a series, we’re currently cruising through a high point where everything goes right in a series. It’s nice to have that change, though my acknowledgement of such has likely jinxed me of any possibility of continuing that series from herein. Oh, well. It was a good run and worth acknowledging! Keep going...

Chewy. His name is Chewy. Of course, George had the final say. And of course, it’s from Star Wars. However, I gotta say… I think it fits our new little friend quite well. He has absolutely loved frolicking the beaches of the Jersey Shore! Also, of course, our timing kinda sucks for visiting this beautiful summer vacation destination. It would have been pretty in the springtime, too, if this was a normal springtime! One day we were walking the beach in flip flops, and the next day we were ducking for cover from the sleet and hail! Needless to say, Chewy was concerned. Keep going...

Being in Philadelphia reminded me of what it means to be American. Being American means walking along cobblestone streets that lead to one-way alleys. Being American means sinking your teeth into a highly caloric sandwich, oozing with cheese, steak, peppers, and onions. Being American means investing a certain amount of emotional weight into a 250-year-old cracked bell. Being American means treading carefully on a lawn filled with more tiny American flags than blades of grass. But more than anything else, being American means being with family. Keep going...

“Ami, we need to talk about Mom.” Keep going...

It’s a real gosh darn shame we missed Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania. We drove sort of near Punxsutawney about a month later, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting. I kind of relate my life to Bill Murray’s character in the movie Groundhog Day sometimes. Every day seems exactly the same! Keep going...